The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-12-08
DANGERS FROM kxraAvAsAxcx-

OANahaS EAOA k4ERAy AdAACE-
ROf course il is not exp p-cted thai Unnecessary
and extravsgant approp riaioas will be nsie
for the purp ,se Of avoiding the accumulati,n er
an excess of revenue. Such expendilare. besides
the desnOrAlizaion of all Just conceptions Of pob
I've duty which il entails. stimulates . habit Of
reckless. improvidence not Ia the least cOnsist-
ent with The mission Of our people u
the high and beneficent purp'ses OF our govern
ment have d-emed 1t my day to thas bring 10
thesknowleige Of my oou0trymcn, ~ well - 10
the attention Of their representatives charged
with the responsibility Of legislative relief. lhs
gravity of our financial situation, the failure Of
Congress to heretofore provide against the
dangers which il was quite evident the very na-
ture OF the difficulty must necessarily produce.
caused y condition Oi financial distress aud ap-
prehenson since your last adjournment. which
taxed 10 ihe u most all the authority and expe-
dients within executive control and these sp-
pear now 1, be exhausted. II disaster results
from The continued inaction Of Congress the re-
spoDsibility must rest where il belongs Thouga
the situation thus Tar considered 10 traught with
danger which should be fully realized, and
though IL presents features wrongful to the peo-
pie we'll peTiious 10 the country, IL 10 but
result grow ing out OF perfectly palpable and ap-
parent Cause, constantly reproducing the same
alarming circumstance, . coOgested national
treasury, and depleted monetary condition 10
tire business Of the country. II need hardly be
stated that while the present situation demands
tcthcAty, We Cau Ouiy 70 oavco tfttM y itkc Ntc-
dicament in the future By the removal Of lis
cause.
oCR OPPRESSIVE TARIFF.
Our scheme of taxation, by means of which
this needless surplus is taken from the people
and put into the public treasury. consists Of q
tariff or duty levied upon importsiioBs from
abroad and internal revenue taxes levied on the
consumption Of tobacco and spirtuOus and malt
liquors. 1t must be conceded that none Of the
things snbject 10 internal revenue tax alton are
strictly speaking necessarles, there appears to
be no just complaint Of this taxation by the
consumers OF these articles, and there seems
to be nothing we'll able TO bear the bur
den without hardship To any portion Of
the people. But our present. tariff
laws the vicious, negotiable aud illogical
source OF unnecessary taxation ought 10 be ~
once revised and amended These laws, in their
primary and plain effect, raise the price to con-
sumers of all articles imported and subject TO
duty by precisely the sum paid for such duties,
thus the amount Of the duty measures the tax
paid by those who purchase for use these i'm
ported articles. Many OF these things, however,
are raised or Manufactured in our own country,
and the duties now levied upon foreign goods
and produces are called protection to these home
manufactures because they render it possible for
those of our people who are manufacturers 20
make these taxed articles and sell them tor a.
price equal to that demanded for the imported
goods that have paid customs duty.
AN UNJUST SYSTEM
So it happens that while comparatively few
use the imported articles, millions of our people
who never use and never saw any of the foreign
products, purchase and use things of the same
kind made 10 this country and pay therefor
nearly quite the same enhanced price which
the duty adds 10 the imported articles. Those
who buy imports pay the duty charged thereon
into the public treasury. but the great majority
OF our citizens who buy domestic articles of the
rla ann at leoe aNGlxr
equal 10 this duty to the home manufacturer.
This reference 10 the operation of our tariff laws
is moi made by way of instructions. bul in order
that we may be constantly reminded Of the man
ner in which they impose q burden upon those
who consume domestic products as well as those
who consume imported articles, and thus create
tax upon all our people.
PARTIAL RELIEF EXPECTED
II is not proposed to entirely relieve the coun-
try Of this taxation il must be extensively con-
tnued as the source OF the governments in
come and In q readjnstment OF our iarf, the in
teresis of American labor engaged in manufac-
ture should be carefully considered, as we'll as
the preservation of our manufactures. II may
be caled protection, or by any ..o'her name but
relet fr,m the hardships and dangers OF our
present tariff laws should be devised with special
precaution against imperiling The existence Oi
our manufacturing interests, but this existence
should not be a condition, which without re-
gard TO the public welfare or a national exigency
must always insure the realization Of immense
profits instead OF moderately profitable returns
AS the volume anil diversity of our national ac-
tvities increase, new recruits are added TO these
who desire a continuation Of the advantages
which they conceive the pFest nj system of tariff
taxation directly affords them. Stubbornly have
all effnrts to reform the present condition been
resisted by those of our fellow citizens thus en-
gagged and they Can hardly complain cf the sus-
piciOn entertained, TO certain extent, that there
exists an organiZd combination all along the line
10 maintain their advantage
We are in the midst of centennial celebrations,
and with becoming pride We rejoice in American
skill and ingenuity and American energy and
enterprise, anu in the wonderful natural Advan-
tages and resources developed by q century's ma
iional growth. Yet when an attempt is made
to JUSTIFY a scheme which permits . tax to be
laid upon every consumer in The land for the
benefit of our manufacturers quite beyond q Tea-
sOnable demand for governmental regard, IL
suits the purposes Of these advocates to call our
manufactures Infant industries" still needing
the highest and greatest degree of favor and lost
ering care that can be wrung from Federal legis-
laliOn.
THE QUESTION OF WAGES.
It is also said that the increase 10 the price of
domestic manufactures resulting from the pres
ent tariff is necessary in order that higher wages
may be paid to our workingmen employed in
manufactures than is paid for what is called the
pauper labor of Europe. All will acknowledge
The force of an argument which involves the
welfare and liberal compensation Of our laboring
people Our labor is honorable In the eyes OF
every American Citizen and. it lies At the foun-
datiOn Of our development and progress, 1t Is en-
titled, without affectation or hypocrisy, to the
utmost regard The standard Of our laborers
should not be measured by that of any other
country less favored, and they are entitled 70
their full share of all our advantages By the
last census it is made to appear that Of the H.
392,999 of our population engaged in all kinds of
indus, rirs 1870 493 employed in agriculture,
4.O74, ,2SS 10 professional aad personal service
e e34 670 of whom are domestic servants and Ia
borersl while 1910 ,256 employed in trade and
transportation and 1881, ,112 are classed a. en-
ployed in manufacturing and mining.
For present purposes, however, the last num-
Der given should be considerably reduced.
Without attempting TO enumerate all. 10 will BE
conceded that there should be deducted from those
which il includes $40, l4S carpenters and joinen,
2S5, ,401 mlliners, dressmnkers and seamstresses,
III, ,726 blacksmilhs 1337J6 tailors and tailor
esses 1o2, ,473 masons. 76.24l butchers, II 800 ba
kers, % oS3 plasterer., and ,SS1 engaged in man
ufacturing acknowledgement to
O23-leaving 2, 2,623, 3,0S9 persnbs employ ed in
such manufacturing industries are claimed 10
be benefited by high tariff To these the ap-
peal Is made to save their employment and main
tain their wages by resisting . change. There
should be no disposition to answer such sugges-
tions by the allegation that they are in q
minority among those who labor, and.
therefore, should forego an advantage in
the interest of low prices for the majoFiiy.
Their compensation, as II may 10 affected
bv the operation Of tariff laws, should at all
times be scruputnusly kept ia view; and yet,